Rugby: Canadian captain Aaron Carpenter to miss European tour

Brantford, Ont., native out with injury suffered in weekend loss to Maori All Blacks.

Canada's Aaron Carpenter, left, tackles Tim Bateman of the Zealand Maori All Blacks during first Sunday's friendly at BMO Field.

By:Neil DavidsonThe Canadian Press, Published on Mon Nov 04 2013

Canada will be without captain Aaron Carpenter for its European rugby tour.

The No. 8 from Brantford, Ont., has been sidelined by an upper-body injury sustained in Canada’s 40-15 loss to the Maori All Blacks on Sunday in Toronto. It was his 55th cap for Canada.

“Gutted about getting injured gonna miss my first November test series,” the 30-year-old Carpenter tweeted. “A few weeks of rest and ill be back to normal.”

On the plus side, European-based pros Jebb Sinclair, James Pritchard, Brett Beukeboom, Phil Mackenzie and Tyler Hotson are set to join 14th-ranked Canada in Tbilisi on Wednesday for Saturday’s game against No. 16-ranked Georgia.

The Canadian team was slated to fly out of Toronto on Monday.

The tour also includes test matches against No. 17 Romania on Nov. 16 and No. 22 Portugal on Nov. 23.

Canada will still be missing D.T.H. van der Merwe, Jamie Cudmore, Jason Marshall, Sean Duke, Tom Dolezel and Nathan Hirayama due to injury and club or other commitments.

Carpenter’s absence has had a ripple effect on the Canadian squad since the captain also serves as cover for Ray Barkwill at hooker given Ryan Hamilton is out with an injury.

Canadian coach Kieran Crowley has called up Benoit Pifferio for help at hooker. Prop Djustice Sears-Duru has also been added to the touring squad.

Mike Scholz and Pat Parfrey miss out on the tour to join the developmental Maple Leafs sevens team slated to play in the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) tournament in the Cayman Islands this weekend.

Canada’s schedule leaves little time to prepare for the test match against Georgia, which is expected to field a bruising, physical side.

“It will all be about recovery, because we now don’t get to Georgia until Wednesday and we’ve only got two days to turn around and play a team that’s pretty damn strong,” Crowley said after the Maori loss.

Crowley plans to rest some of his sevens players for the final tour match against Portugal, so as not to wear them out in advance of the Nov. 29-30 Dubai Sevens.

It’s made for a gruelling fall schedule for Canada and Crowley, who does not expect to get back to his Victoria home until early December.

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